A drawing professional (e.g., a graphic artist) utilizes modern tools to help make his/her job easier. Particularly, the drawing professional often finds it convenient to “trace” a raster image (e.g., a JPEG file of a photograph, a GIF file of line art, etc.) using a computer system (e.g., a data processing system). Numerous techniques of computer tools such as Adobe® Streamline® and Adobe® Illustrator® have been developed to aid the drawing professional to trace the raster image.
One technique involves the application of mathematical curves (e.g., Bézier curves and/or Bézier splines using a Bézier curve tool). A Bezier curve may consist of two anchor points, through which the curve passes, and two control handles-one control handle for each anchor point. Moving the control handle adjusts the shape of the curve. A Bezier spline may be a concatenation of many Bezier curves together. Because each polygon (e.g., an abstract mathematical device to approximate ideal shapes) of the raster image must be manually traced using the Bézier curve tool, the process is inefficient, and results in “gapping”, and/or spacing between polygons in a resulting data file (e.g., a traced output file).
Another technique is auto-tracing. Auto-tracing involves an algorithmic identification of various polygons in an image, and an automatic application of curves (e.g., Bézier curves) around each of the various polygons identified. Post processing may be performed to help reduce “gapping” between adjacent polygons. However, “gapping” between adjacent polygons still remains using auto-tracing. In addition, “beading” may arise in the resultant data file using auto-tracing techniques because regions of the raster image that are diagonally oriented (e.g., a checkerboard line pattern of the raster image) are treated as separate polygons. This results in visual distortion of the raster image in the resulting data file.
Numerous other techniques also exist to trace an image using computer tools. However, each of these techniques create “gapping” and/or beading. Numerous technical challenges exist to prevent gapping and/or beading in the resulting data file (e.g., boundary conditions are difficult to identify, cataloguing of various boundary parameters is slow, etc.).
As a result, the drawing professional may need to individually zoom in various segments of an image, and manually close gaps and undo beaded polygons within the resulting data file. This process is expensive and time consuming for the drawing professional and businesses involved in the digital arts profession must absorb this additional labor expense.
Other features of the present embodiments will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows.